Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant

Add: 1-2/F , Nanxincang Int'l Building, A22, Dongsi Shitiao

Contact: 5169-0328

Open: 11am-10pm

Price: More than CNY400 (for two people dining together without drinks.)

Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant is a household name in Beijing. In Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant (Tuanjiehu Lake), all the selected ducks are hung in a wood-fired oven to be cooked after you arrive. It only takes about 40 minutes to roast a duck, which is crisp outside but tender inside, with its gorgeous fragrance pervading every inch of the room. Your first bite gives you crispy skin and tender meat, and Da Dong prides itself on reduced fat. The combination of crisp roast duck skin dipped in sugar melts in your mouth. The rich taste is unlike that of other roast duck restaurants as their ducks tend to be greasier in taste. The fat percentage of the ducks served in Da Dong is said to be lower than that in other restaurants according to test results.

Today, Beijing roast duck is internationally famous. For quite a long time, gourmets have been searching out the best way to enjoy roast duck. Their favourite tips to enjoy the authentic taste are:

1. Season

Pick the right season as the taste of roast duck can vary in different seasons. Spring, autumn or winter are thought to be the best. In winter and spring locally produced ducks are tender. In autumn, with its cool and dry weather and mild temperature the amount of moisture in the air creates the best conditions for roasting ducks, and the texture of the meat texture is also in the best conditions. In summer, it’s both humid and hot, so the roast duck can easily lose its crispy taste. Meanwhile, the quality of the duck meat cannot be guaranteed.

2. Slicing techniques

Excellent slicing techniques contribute to the appeal and taste of the roast duck. A roast duck should be sliced from the breast, with the meat attached to the skin. There are three procedures for slicing a roast duck: first, the skin will be sliced off while it’s still hot and crispy; then the meat will be sliced off without skin attached; finally, the meat will be sliced off with the crispy skin. A duck weighing 2 kilograms can be cut into over 100 slices of similar sizes, rendering crispy and tender taste. What a unique dining experience is that.

3. Seasonings

Why should roast duck be eaten with other seasonings? Because duck meat can be quite greasy after being roasted. If coupled with other seasonings, the taste will be richer and less greasy. Today, there are three ways to enjoy roast duck. The most popular way is to put some sweet bean sauce on the pancake with chopsticks, then add several duck meat slices, scallions, cucumber and radish slices, and roll them in the pancake. The sweet bean sauce should be produced by Liu Bi Ju (a century-old seasoning manufacturer), which is considered to give the roast duck the most authentic taste. The second way is to blend the duck meat with mashed garlic and soybean sauce, coupled with radish slices. The garlic is meant to make the taste less greasy and provide a unique spicy taste at the same time. For those who are not big fans of scallion and garlic, the third way is to dip the crispy duck into the sugar. It turns out that the third way is especially popular among women and children. According to nutrition experts, if the roast duck is eaten with scallion, garlic and cucumber, it is more likely to achieve acid base balance, and moreover, the vitamin C and fibers contained in these seasonings will help improve the digestive function by reducing cholesterol levels and increasing protein absorption.

4. Pancakes and millet congee

Roast duck is usually eaten with two kinds of pancakes, namely lotus leaf shaped pancake and sesame pancake. You can you paste some sweet bean sauce on the lotus leaf shaped pancake, then add several duck meat slices, scallions, cucumber and radish slices, and roll them in the pancake. Sometimes, millet congee with barley and red beans are served in the restaurant, which features a combination of color and taste. You will definitely feel quite satisfied after having a bowl of such congee.